Handheld showerheads are well known in the art. Basic models include a flexible water supply tube connected to a handle portion. The handle portion terminates in a head portion through which streams of water exit under pressure. Improvements on this basic design include showerheads having selectable spray patterns, showerheads incorporating brushes adjacent water jets, and showerheads using kinetic energy provided as water travels under pressure through the showerhead to rotate or otherwise move the brush in the showerhead.
While providing a handheld showerheads in lieu of a standard wall-mounted fixture provides accessibility and alleviates the need to move relative to the water source, a problem remains in that users must manipulate bars of soap or soap dispensers with their free hand when showering, which can be difficult for persons suffering arthritis and similar movement-related health issues. Some improvements in handheld showerheads have been developed to address this issue, including providing a soap dispensing apparatus along with the showerhead.
These improvements typically involve a soap chamber adjacent to the showerhead in fluid communication with the water traveling through the showerhead. These types of handheld showerheads have a drawback in that a person must actuate the soap dispenser separate from the handle of the showerhead, which can be more difficult than operating a separate soap dispenser. For this reason, there is a need for a handheld showerhead that incorporates an automatic soap dispensing function directly into the showerhead itself. There is also a need for a handheld soap dispensing showerhead providing a movable brush assembly, which is easy to install and which is easy to refill with soap as necessary.